KLETKA

I didn’t expect to fall for a game about an elevator with teeth, but here we are. KLETKA blends tense cooperative exploration with dark humor: you and up to five players descend through an ever-expanding Gigastructure while trying not to become the lift’s dinner. If you liked the jump-scare teamwork of Lethal Company or the oddball loops of Peak, KLETKA will feel familiar, yet it has its own identity — equal parts resource scavenging and frantic rescue runs. It’s messy, occasionally buggy, often hilarious, and surprisingly atmospheric.

Riding the Hungry Lift

The core loop of KLETKA is gloriously simple and quietly cruel: assemble a squad (up to six), step into the elevator, and descend. Every stop is a mini-mission — scavenge fuel, find meat, loot weird items, and deal with traps or hostile entities in the hallways. The elevator itself is a semi-sentient thing you must keep fed; neglect it and the consequences are immediate and messy. Most runs end up balancing exploration and emergency returns: sometimes you’ll sprint past loot because the siren for the Samosbor anomaly is blaring and that elevator is the only safe place. Revives exist, but they can be grindy when resources are scarce; I’ve spent long stretches nibbling at the edges of a run trying to bring a teammate back without getting everyone killed.

Feed, Trade, or Get Eaten

What sets KLETKA apart is the grotesque but brilliant design choice to make the elevator both ally and threat. Feeding it isn’t just a cosmetic tickbox — fuel and flesh are meaningful currencies that shape your decisions. The Gigastructure’s floors vary wildly: cramped, trap-filled corridors feel claustrophobic and tense, while the open car-and-field levels introduce vehicular play and a different pacing. There are delightful little touches — balloon-animal allies, cassette tapes that change ambience, and absurd revival methods like a beer machine — that add personality and occasional WTF-laughs. Progression exists in the form of elevator upgrades and found items; you’ll want to prioritize what keeps your crew alive versus what makes the ride more fun.

Grimy Pixels and Creaking Sound Design

Presentation leans into retro-indie aesthetics with a grime-covered palette and oddly charming creature designs. Sound is a big part of the experience: subtle ambient tracks, sirens that make your heart dip, and audio cues that tell you whether the Kletka is near or if Samosbor is on the move. Physics and level design give the game a lived-in, sometimes unpredictable feel — an enemy ragdolling into a doorway, a carflip on an open floor, or a teammate accidentally launching a molocannon shot at you. Performance is generally fine on Windows and Linux builds I tried, though players report occasional multiplayer connectivity hiccups and bugs. The developers are active and patches show they pay attention to feedback, which helps when the game’s rough edges threaten to overshadow the charm.

KLETKA is a deeply personable indie with a filthy sense of humor and a satisfying core loop — best played with friends who don’t mind improvising. It’s rough around the edges: revive grind, a few dull open floors, and occasional network bugs hold it back from perfection. Still, the living-elevator mechanic, moments of genuine terror, and the delightfully weird item pool make it worth trying. Buy for co-op scares and chaotic teamwork; solo runs work, but the game truly shines in a screaming, laughing squad.